Maryhill @ Archaeology Roadshow – Portland
Visit the Maryhill Museum of Art booth at the Archaeology Roadshow, a traveling annual event created by Portland State University that gives visitors of all ages the chance to learn more about Oregon’s past and its connections to us today.
About the Archaeology Roadshow
The Archaeology Roadshow is a large-scale public outreach event held on Portland State University campus and in other communities in Oregon, designed to promote stewardship of Oregon’s heritage and educate adults and children about the value of archaeology to all citizens. The fair-like experience brings together community organizations (Tribes, federal and state agencies, private companies, avocational organizations), and PSU students and faculty who host hands-on activities that relate to heritage, science, and Indigenous history and contemporary Tribal interests in our region. The Roadshow grew out of a 2012 Public Archaeology class project that took place in PSU’s Cramer Hall and attracted 180 visitors. We have since grown in many ways — including providing support to partners in Harney County, Bend, and in 2023, The Dalles, Oregon to host Roadshow events in their communities.
The Archaeology Roadshow has many layers of benefits. The public learns more about our region’s rich and complex human past and its connections to us today. Visitors also learn about the range of organizations that are engaged in archaeology and heritage activities — and why this work truly matters to us all. Participating college students learn about the importance of public engagement through creating an exhibit of their own. The Roadshow also provides an opportunity for organizations to address their own public outreach goals and at the same time, forges connections among individuals and organizations in our state who are passionate about heritage, site stewardship and public education.
Portland Event
The Archaeology of Art & Craft features dozens of exhibits and activities hosted by archaeologists and heritage specialists, representing universities, tribes, federal and state agencies, companies, and nonprofit organizations.
The Roadshow also invites visitors to bring personal objects (stone tools, pottery, animal bones) they wish to know more about. We’ll have a panel of experts on hand who will help interpret your find. No financial appraisals are given.
Onsite translators will be available for Spanish, Cantonese and Russian. The event site is ADA accessible.
This family friendly event gives visitors of all ages the chance to learn more about Oregon’s past and its connections to us today. It is completely free and open to all.
Do you have an artifact that you want to learn more about? Perhaps you found a curious object (a possible stone tool, a piece of pottery, an animal bone) while on a hike or walking on farmland, or a relative gave you an artifact that had been special to them. Bring it to the Archaeology Roadshow!
At all of our events, we have experts on hand who have knowledge about stone tools, pottery, animal bones, historical archaeology, and geology. Our experts will do their best to determine the object’s age, possible function and anything else they can. If you have any details about where the object was found, please bring these. Limit – 3 objects. No financial appraisals.
Besides sharing their knowledge, the experts will talk with you about the importance of stewardship – and the need for all of us to take care of precious artifacts that are directly linked to descendant communities. They will talk about the ethics and legal aspects associated with artifact collecting – and suggest organizations you can join or museums to visit, to support your love of archaeology and history.